Industry Percentage Agriculture (n = 11) 36.4 Construction (n = 6) 66.7 Private residence (n = 33) 87.9 Hospitality (n = 10) 20.0 Restaurant (n = 9) 0.0
Note: These percentages are based on all individuals, both those working with visas and those without. Documents may include passports as well as other forms of identification.
Document seizure was not the only form of coercion that emerged. Two victim service providers discussed another coercive technique used by traffickers to entrap victims, even as the victims continuously migrated between their home countries and the United States:
And what [site 4, victim services provider 2] and I have to stress is that that they really have to realize what the coercion can look like and how deep it can run between the contractors and the workers. So in this particular situation where the workers were going back to Peru every year, they were brought back with the sort of implicit understanding that if they didn’t come back every year, they wouldn’t find their families in their home country because the traffickers had connections in the military in their home country. So the threat was very credible. But it can get a little confusing when you see the victims of labor trafficking doing what might seem like freely moving from country to country when they . . . they are doing it under a threat. (site 4, victim service providers 2 and 4)
Although force during movement was far less common than fraud and coercion, the use of force was more prevalent during the movement process for victims labor trafficked in agriculture and domestic servitude. Indeed, 38 and 29 percent, respectively, of individuals trafficked in these two industries experienced force during their journey. These figures are noticeably higher than in
hospitality (8 percent), construction (0 percent), and restaurants (0 percent).35 In seven of the domestic servitude cases in our case record sample a recurring pattern emerged of victims being recruited to work in the trafficker’s home country, which often differed from their own. The trafficker, who most often but not always was living in the Middle East, recruited domestic workers, subsequently moved to the United States, and forced the victim to accompany him or her to America. A victim service provider described the experience of one of her labor trafficking clients:
So her case, she was domestic servitude, she was brought by a recruiter from Ethiopia to Saudi Arabia, and was not paid, nothing that she was told was going to happen happened, the man was sexually assaulting her. Before sexually assaulting her, he was like, “You can leave but take your best shot, you can’t go out without a burka, you can’t go anywhere, you’re a female you can’t be unattended, good luck.” So she didn’t have a choice, she was stuck there. And so not only was she not being paid, constantly had to do work in the house, she also was having to shave the wife, like brush her teeth for her, wipe her, like all kinds of demeaning cruel things. They were a fairly wealthy family in Saudi Arabia, and he started touching her and trying things with her. And he brought her to the States on their family vacation to go visit his son who lives here, might as well bring her so we don’t have to shave ourselves. (site 2, attorney 1)
Listed below are the details of a domestic worker’s case file describing how she was recruited under the false impression she would be working in Bahrain and then was forced to go to the United States. This victim was illiterate and was forced to sign documents (with a thumbprint) she did not understand.
Victim recruited through employment agency ad in Bangladesh to work as domestic worker for family in Bahrain. When she got to Bahrain, the victim was forced on a plane to the US. Victim didn't want to leave because she would be far from family—tried to resist but was forced. Flew from Bangladesh to Bahrain and then forced on a plane to US; victim under impression she would be working in Bahrain. Plane made a stop in Saudi Arabia. Along the route, the airline staff watched the victim, made sure she was linked to the diplomat in [US state] and at one point in the journey confiscated the victim’s passport. She was labor trafficked by a diplomat (case ID #30) Unauthorized workers, as well as foreign national workers with temporary visas, experienced forced movement to jobs in the United States. Differences in the use of force were stark when
comparing labor trafficking victims who entered the United States with visas versus those entering the United States without authorization: 39 percent of unauthorized individuals faced force during their movement to the United States compared to 12 percent of those entering the United States with authorization. Forced movement took many formats, but all unauthorized individuals who were forced during movement were forced across the US–Mexico or US–Canada border. Individuals forced across the US–Mexico border were primarily from Latin America. In some cases, victims were told they would be entering the United States with documents arranged by a recruiter and/or trafficker and were then threatened and forced to cross the border unauthorized. One victim’s case in our sample is also
indicative of similar forms of abuse suffered by the dozens of individuals she references throughout her movement to the United States and labor trafficking upon arrival:
Victim under impression she would enter US legally but then forced to smuggle. Her movement started in Lima, Peru, went to Mexican Embassy. Victim told she would travel as a domestic worker to unknown woman met at embassy. Victim then traveled with another woman to Mexico. Victim flew from Lima to Mexico City on Aero Mexico flight. Stayed for one night in hotel in Mexico City. Next day (June 16, 2003), a man picked up victim and took her to a house—never saw man again. Victim’s passport taken while at house; victim stayed at house for eight days. Victim scared, didn't know anyone at house or where she was or how she would get to [US city of labor trafficking]. Then taken to Chihuahua, Mexico to another house with 11 other people by a
man and his daughter. Victim kept in house for 10 days with the other 11 people. House was deplorable—dirty, garbage, slept on mattresses on the floor and locked in the house. Watched by a lady who lived upstairs and told victim she and others would have to pay for food. Victim pooled money with others to give to lady to buy food that victims had to cook and then lady would take most of the food. Victim had little money since she assumed travel expenses would be paid for by the recruiter as part of the debt she owed her. Victim then taken with 11 others by pickup truck from house in Chihuahua to desert. Forced to walk in desert for 12 hours. Not given supplies (no water). Man leading journey would insult victim and others. Then arrived in Jano, Mexico. Allowed to rest for a few hours. Then from Jano, victim and seven others led to Aguacalientes, Mexico—journey by foot, given little water. In Aguacalientes for three days locked in home of man. A woman and her 12-year-old nephew were also held in the house. On July 1 and 2, 2003, man and his men took victim to Mexico–US border where they tried twice (unsuccessfully) to lead victim across. On July 2, 2003, victim and two others were led by man and three of his associates through the desert. About 12-hour journey, traveled by foot and crawled much of the time. Crawled through debris, thorns, and stones; body became bruised and purple. Victim got strength to complete journey by thinking about her son. At end of journey, reached US, and victim and two others were picked up and driven to Phoenix, Arizona. In Phoenix for four or five days, then put in car and driven to LA. In LA, taken to home of a Peruvian woman. From her home taken to airport and put on [commercial airline] flight to [east coast US state]. When arrived in [site of labor trafficking], one of (recruiter)'s men picked victim up and dropped at new home in [site of labor trafficking]. About 20 other Peruvians lived in the house. Victim then told her smuggling debt was $14,000 USD. (case ID #18)
In conclusion, fraud and coercion were prevalent during labor trafficking victims’ movement from the country of their recruitment to the United States. For those entering the United States on a visa, the most common form of coercion was the seizure of documents. Those who entered the United States without authorization faced greater instances of fraud, threats, exploitation, and victimization during their journeys by recruiters, smugglers, and/or traffickers and associates. Forced movement was less common, but when it did occur it was commonly experienced by individuals labor trafficked in domestic work and agriculture; both unauthorized individuals and those entering the United States with visas experienced force during their movement to the United States.